


in-between days

by raven (singlecrow)



Category: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-05
Updated: 2020-11-05
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:41:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27402166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/singlecrow/pseuds/raven
Summary: Julian and Garak go on holiday. It goes about as well as you might expect.
Relationships: Julian Bashir/Elim Garak
Comments: 28
Kudos: 86





	in-between days

They go to Risa, of course. It’s bland but warming, drinks with umbrellas in and reliably pretty sunsets. Garak rereads Julius Caesar, spluttering about farce and history: Julian dozes by the water’s edge. On day two he rouses himself enough to begin an eight-hundred page biography of Alexander Hamilton while Garak gets sand in his scales. On day three they order the red snapper and on day four they see a shooting star.

On day five, Garak throws a cocktail in the lagoon and accuses the waiter of trying to kill him. Julian puts the book down long enough to fetch the glass and ask Garak what the hell he’s playing at.

“Bromelain,” Garak says, in a tone of voice he reserves for bodily violation and Bajoran spring fashions. “It’s an organic compound found in pineapple. Famously toxic to Cardassian physiology.”

Julian wonders if this could be the first step in a baroque fruit scheme before it rings a faint bell. “That’s right,” he says slowly, turning to the waiter. “And _you_ should know that.” 

Waiters on Risa are as good at their jobs as anyone in Starfleet, probably better. It takes guts and attention to detail to keep five dozen species happy and inclined to tip.

“Sorry, Doctor,” the waiter says, flustered. “It’s just, Legate Hisprit over there, he likes pineapple daquiris, asks for one every day on the regular.”

Garak looks over his shoulder at a scaly figure sprawled on a sun lounger and hisses, “ _That’s not Legate Hisprit_ ”— and day six is just a lot of sneaking around and shouting. The Klingon spy in deep cover carries the news of his involuntary defection to his superiors and the waiter enjoys himself so much he decides to enlist. 

Days seven, eight and nine are beautiful, the sunsets tinged purplish and gold. Garak starts on the Cardassian poetry of the Late Aklesian period, _the wild fire’s glory / the body of the state_. Julian takes a nap.


End file.
